Web deals miles ahead of celebrity endorsements for travel inspiration

Inspiration for a trip comes from a variety of sources, yet it appears the classic, slightly old fashioned, bargain is still the primary driver.

Seeing a deal or promotion trumps every other potential inspiration trigger, especially those who claim that trawling through social media is an important mechanism or how high-profile figures can influence decision-making.

Expedia Media Solutions surveyed 3,000 European travellers about various travel buying habits and found 47% were influenced by deals or promotions, with the over-55s (boomers) coming in at 55%.

The figure is far higher than that of the celebrity-led support for a product or destination, which inspired just 12% of Gen-Z or millennials and a sorry 3% of boomers.

Blogs and media content was enough to persuade 34% of travellers, with videos from friends or experts at 31%.

Searching on social media under specific hashtags (#paris, for example) only worked for 19%.

Thankfully, going old school with a bit of word-of-mouth appears to also have a bearing on a decision, with 64% claiming they would talk to people before deciding what to book.

Although there is plenty of effort being put into the loyalty programmes associated with brands, especially in the hotel space, just 29% (as low as 17% of boomers) regard such schemes as important factors.

Perhaps most significantly, in terms of how various age groups are working their way through the search and booking cycle, is the stark difference between smartphone usage.

For example, 63% of Gen-Z would use a mobile when looking for inspiration compared to just 8% of boomers.